Guingamp Abbey
Description
The Saint-Croix Abbey of Guingamp, in the current municipality of Guingamp (Côtes-d'Armor), is a foundation for the regular canons of Saint Augustine in Brittany, established in 1134 by Count Étienne de Penthièvre for canons from the Saint-Victor Abbey in Paris.
Abbot Jean Hamon (1437-1452) partially rebuilt the 12th-century buildings with the support of Count Pierre de Guingamp. Additional renovations were carried out by Abbot Jean de Kernavanay (1514-1536). During the conflicts of the League in Brittany, Sainte-Croix was the only monastery in Guingamp to escape plunder by royal troops. Between 1592 and 1639, under the abbacy of Pierre Cornulier, who was the Bishop of Tréguier and later of Rennes, the canons were replaced by six priests, one of whom held the rank of prior.
In the 18th century, a prior was accused by three of the chaplains of no longer celebrating the canonical office, although he continued to receive his prebend. The buildings were in a state of ruin, and in 1748, the Bishop of Tréguier had the Holy Sacrament transferred to the Rochefort Chapel. During the refurbishment around 1750, only the transept crossing and the polygonal apse of the original building were successfully preserved. During the French Revolution, the abbey and the abbey premises were sold as national property and gradually disappeared.